Nielsen: iPad Owners Younger, More Receptive of Ads

A new study by Nielsen about mobile device users revealed some interesting statistics about Apple iPad owners. First, they tend to be younger men, and second, they tend to be more susceptible to advertising than most (which may be how they ended up with an iPad to begin with).

To complete the study, Nielsen surveyed over 5,000 owners of portable devices, including the Kindle, smartphones, netbooks and more in addition to the iPad. Of those polled, 400 owned an iPad, and the majority of those 400 were young males: 65 percent were male, and 63 percent aged 35 or younger.

Surprisingly, they weren’t among the most wealthy respondents, despite having enough disposable income to drop on Apple’s fairly pricey tablet. That honor went to Kindle users, 44 percent of whom made $80,000 or more. Only 39 percent of iPad owners fell into that bracket, and 37 percent of iPhone owners.

Despite being slightly less well-off, iPad owners were more likely to interact with an ad. 39 percent of iPad users said the found ads on the device “new and interesting.” They’re also more likely to buy something based on advertising found on-device. That’s great news for newspaper and magazine publishers, who are hoping that iPad versions of their publications (and subscriptions for those) will revitalize their ailing industry.

Advertisers targeting the platform really couldn’t ask for a better audience than relatively wealthy, young men who are receptive to your message. With stats like these, the iPad could be the key to finally unlocking the massive potential of online advertising. Make no mistake, in terms of mobile advertising endeavors, iAd is the one to watch.